Art Galore - Scratching the surface

"Vhils art is poetic, complex, and ambitious, often focusing on the needs we have abandoned in favour of our wants, and the realisation that trading pleasure back in for happiness will be a less than straightforward exchange." - on Alexandre Farto


Scratching the Surface by Alexandre Farto

Architects think of building walls, beautifying them with green planters and what nots, louvres, timbre strips in 3-4-5-3 rhythms.
Yet I think in terms of aesthetics, this artist does it way better by respecting the integrity of the rawness of material (to it's true form) although he does it through the means of hacking into the wall i.e. scratching the surface.

Pretty Things

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” - Laura Wilder


laptop sleeve from Fabrix

I have a thing for simple pretty things like this! My itchy fingers can't wait to get hold of it!

Transformers craze

"We've witnessed your human capacity for war. It would absolutely bring more harm than good." - Optimus Prime, Transformers 2


Skid & Mudflap - transformers

And so, after the movie, I was humming the tune from the Bumblebee fight scene. I thought it was a perfect on-the-go tune.

I stepped in toy stores after toy stores with my friend (I would have otherwise not done so). I just couldn't find a perfect one to get my hands on: not too expensive, not too plastic-ky, not too low on detail.

And so, I got back, with the instrumental soundtrack from the Transformers playing in the background, googled and found this! Please please please tell me if you find this version of Skid & Mudflap in any stores!! (Oh, I don't want the upgraded Skid & Mudflap. I still think it looks darn cool when the lao pok ice cream truck drives into the hangar next to all the other high tech vehicles and airplanes!)

please please please please.

also filed under 100 happy things.

of SIT flats

"– I was asked to return to my cell. The cell was very small and there were 13 persons inside it. The room was wet, and everybody was wet inside; urine was on the floor all over. "
- witness account from war trial prosecution


SIT flats @ Smith Street

Do you see the resemblance to the pre-war SIT flats that still fondly stand in Tiong Bahru? These SIT flats at New Bridge Road were built in 1938 and demolished in 1975 as the Kreta Ayer Centre was being built. During the period of the Japanese Occupation, it was temporarily converted to the Kempetai West District Branch, a house became a place of torture.

I think this whole process is eating me alive. I slept wrapped beneath my blankets without the fan and woke up with a throbbing headache.

also in we conserve. you conserve

Canal Jogging Route

“Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail.” - Robert Motherwell


Ulu Pandan Canal Jogging Route

I woke up from an afternoon nap as the rays of the evening sun filtered through my window. The rain had stopped and the mist was apparent.

As there weren't any more swim meets from the Asian Youth Games to catch (yes I still get the thrills from watching splashes of swimmers on screen, and as I type, I'm watching the replays of the AYG, ah those agile powerful swimmers), I decided to explore a new jogging route at my area!

Amidst what seemed like a concrete jungle of HDB blocks, I cleared my way to a path adjacent to the canal, buffered by rain trees and shrubs (ok, on google earth, the buffer just seems to pepper the route). But it nonetheless, it felt good breathing non exhaust fume air through the approximate 4km run!

WIME - Reason 3

"swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in
Vincent's eyes of China blue.
Colors changing hue
morning fields of amber grain" - excerpt from Vincent by Don McLean


Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and the daffodils

catch the breeze and the winter chills

in colors on the snowy linen land.
And now I understand what you tried to say to me

- Vincent by Don McLean


I miss these dabs of colours on my palette. There seem to be mere linseed oil that trickles down my palette now.

Incongruence

"Many of these systems are complex and far-reaching, created by deep thinkers. But many are of our own personal design, created to explain, organize or cope with situations in our individual lives." - Dayna Thacker


by Dayna Thacker

"... Another aspect of my work is the difference between the conclusions we reach with the logical, reasoning, conscious part of ourselves, and the ones that appear suddenly from our intuitive subconscious. We accommodate an incredible amount of informational input these days, and very little of it is from the natural world with which we evolved. Most of it is information we ourselves have created, formulated and compounded, and the resulting blizzard of swirling facts and useless trivia is mind-boggling. Yet, although culturally we give ourselves very little time to be quiet and still, to mentally digest, our subconscious manages to take it all in and occasionally give back a flash of insight." - Dayna Thacker

On Impulse

“Reason only controls individuals after emotion and impulse have lost their impetus.” - Carlton Simon


Miao's masterpiece

Today, I had an impromptu road trip and picnic along the beach.
What started out with an afternoon of shifting things (to my new place), turned out to be an efficient 1 hour plus shifting with a tea that turned to an evening picnic at Sentosa till the sun set. We were after all, in appropriate attires.
Who said everything needs to be planned?